A Pentagon spokesperson said Tuesday that the department “reserves the right to take extraordinary measures to protect the integrity” of the Virginia Military Institute amid scrutiny of the college by state leaders and lawmakers in Richmond.
The Department of Defense declined to elaborate on what those “extraordinary measures” might be.
“We do not have anything to provide beyond the tweet,” said a duty officer with the Pentagon’s press operations when asked about the statement.
Spokesperson Sean Parnell’s post on the social media platform X was in reaction to Virginia House Bill 1374 by Del. Michael Feggans, D-Virginia Beach, which proposes the dissolution of the VMI Board of Visitors. Feggans proposes that the institute’s governance be transferred to Virginia State University, a historically Black university in Chesterfield County.
Feggans’ bill is one of two in the General Assembly suggesting major changes to VMI’s governance and funding following years of scrutiny of the culture of and leadership at the state-run military college in Lexington.
Parnell added that the federal department is monitoring the bill with “significant concern.” He argued that VMI is a “vital source of commissioned officers for the Armed Forces,” and because of that “proven leadership pipeline,” the issue is a matter of “direct national security interest.”
“Any action that could disrupt the ecosystem requires our full attention. DoW reserves the right to take extraordinary measures to protect the integrity of VMI and our commitment to the cadets and midshipmen currently training there remains steadfast,” he said, before urging the General Assembly to “consider the broader implications” of the bill on military readiness.
The Trump administration refers to the Department of Defense as the Department of War; Congress has not voted on the name change.
Feggans did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. The bill has been assigned to the House Higher Education subcommittee but has yet to be heard.
In response to Parnell’s post, Del. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax County, said in a written statement to Cardinal News that it is in the interest of U.S. and Virginia taxpayers to “have a VMI focused on producing qualified, capable military leaders of the future, not continuing to celebrate the traitors of the Lost Cause of the Confederacy.”
Some of its traditions and practices are rooted in Civil War history, though many were ended during the tenure of Maj. Gen. Cedric Wins, the first Black superintendent of VMI. Wins’ contract was not renewed by VMI’s board in early 2025; in response, some state senators raised the possibility of reducing or eliminating VMI’s state funding.
Helmer introduced a bill in January that would establish a task force to examine whether the college should continue on as a state-sponsored institution. That bill was reported out of its committees and is in the House of Delegates for a full chamber vote.
“I hope that the Department of Defense will join us in calling for a modern, safe VMI for all students,” he added.
Republican Congressman Ben Cline, who represents the 6th District where VMI is located, said that he shares the Defense Department’s concern about the General Assembly’s bills.
“Decisions about the Institute should take into account not only its importance to Virginia, but its role in our nation’s military readiness. VMI exists to train leaders of character and service, not to advance political agendas, and politics should have no place in the governance or day-to-day life of an institution so closely tied to our national security,” Cline said in a written statement to Cardinal News.
Neither State Sen. Chris Head nor Del. Terry Austin, both R-Botetourt County, responded to a request for comment Tuesday. Their districts include Lexington, where VMI is located. U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, both Democrats, also did not respond to queries, nor did Gov. Abigail Spanberger.
VMI did not respond to an invitation to comment on Tuesday.
The school is one of only six senior military colleges in the United States, and is the only one where all students are a part of the corps of cadets, participating in military training alongside academics on a daily basis. The other five senior military colleges — Norwich, the Citadel, Virginia Tech, Texas A&M and the University of North Georgia — admit civilian students as well as cadets.
Although the U.S. military academies require military service after graduation in exchange for free tuition, senior military colleges do not require graduates to commission and charge tuition.
VMI is the oldest state-supported senior military college. In 2025, about 50% of its graduating class was commissioned. Over the past 15 years, the commissioning rate has fluctuated in the 40% to 56% range.
In a statement in January, Feggans said that the legislative effort is intended to be “structural, not punitive.”
“The bill reflects broader, longstanding concerns about whether VMI’s current governance structure meets the standards the commonwealth expects. When patterns of governance issues arise, it is appropriate for the General Assembly to review and, if necessary, adjust oversight structures,” Feggans said.
“This legislation is about governance and the General Assembly’s responsibility to ensure that public institutions are overseen in a manner that reflects stability, accountability, and sound judgment,” he said.
He added that the potential shift in governance would preserve “VMI’s mission, military structure, and academic role.”
